• Country/entity

  Syria
  

• Region

  Middle East and North Africa
  

• Agreement name

  Agreement between Jaysh al-Islam and Jabhat al-Nusra, Ghouta

• Date

  19 Jul 2015

• Agreement status

  Multiparty signed/agreed

• Interim arrangement

  Yes

• Agreement/conflict level

  Intrastate/local conflict ( Syrian Conflicts (1948 - ) (1976 - 2005) (2011 - ) )

• Stage

  Pre-negotiation/process

• Conflict nature

  Inter-group

• Peace process

  Syrian Local Agreements

• Parties

  Jaysh al-Islam, Sheikh Zahran Aloush;
  Jabhat al-Nusra, Sheikh Abu Essam.

• Third parties

  -

• Description

  5 point agreement providing for an end to defamation campaigns, the removal of checkpoints in Ghouta, the creation of a joint military command and the re-opening of courts for dispute resolution.

• Agreement document

  SY_150719_Agreement between Jaysh al-Islam and Nursa Front_EN.pdf | Download PDF

• Agreement document (original language)

  SY_150719_Agreement between Jaysh al-Islam and Nursa Front_AR.pdf | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

• Process type

  Informal but persistent process
  

• Rationale

  -> Link to national level; no external support mechanism; culture of signing There is no formally established mechanism to support the negotiation between Salafi armed groups. Moreover, this agreement cannot be linked to the national peace process. Indeed, both groups have a Salafist ideology; they oppose the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and reject the idea of a national negotiation to solve the conflict. Yet, it seems that both signing parties choose to solve daily pragmatic issues related to their armed struggle through agreements. Although one cannot speak of a “culture” of singing peace agreements, the parties are involved (in a non-proactive and non-conscious way) in a persistent practice of signing local agreements.

• Is there a documented link to a national peace process?

  No

• Link to national process: articulated rationale

  No link to the national peace process in Syria is mentioned in the agreement, neither it can be inferred from further research. First, the agreement does not involve local governance actors; and the signing parties themselves are not official state representative. Second, all parties to the agreement reject the national peace process, as it would maintain Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government in power.

• Name of Locale

  Ghouta

• Nature Of Locale

  Region

• GPS Lat/Long (DD)

  33.570422, 36.405134

• Participant type

  Local armed group
  

• Mediator, facilitator or similar

  No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

On [illegible], the leadership of Jaysh Al Islam represented by Sheikh Zahran Aloush and the leadership of Jabhat Al Nusra, represented by Sheikh Abu Essam.

They agreed on the following:

1. Stopping all campaigns that accuse others of betrayal to the cause, defame them, or incite against them by both sides, and pledging to ensure that violators of this agreement from both sides are dealt with.

2. [ illegible]

3. Jaysh Al Islam pledges to remove the barriers/checkpoints between [illegible] and that it will man all of the barriers/checkpoints in Ghouta in future operations

4. Establishing a military operations command room to guard military sites in Ghouta and creating a joint vision between all of the different groups in Ghouta.

5. Both sides pledge to reopen the issue of the courts in order to reach a joint vision

Commander of Jabhat Al Nusrah

Sheikh Abu Essam

[Signed]

Commander of Jaysh Al Islam

Sheikh Zahran Aloush

[Signed]